Dancing with the Stars 7: Rocco DiSpirito and Karina SmirnoffMonday, September 01, 2008

Dancing with the Stars is scheduled to take center stage on ABC again in just three short weeks. Last week, the official cast of 13 celebrities was announced, and although they are not exactly A-list, some among the roster do seem like genuine, likeable people who will be fun to watch on TV. The more I think about it, the more I am convincing myself that it might be a better competition without any A-listers because then, maybe it will be more about the dancing, and less about any one contestant's ready-made fanbase.

Although I yet to see any of the couples dance, so far I have offered you my commentary on Misty May-Treanor and Maksim Chmerkovskiy, and Susan Lucci and Tony Dovolani. Today, I will consider Rocco DiSpirito and Karina Smirnoff's chances at winning Dancing with the Stars.

Rocco DiSpirito

Pros:
Rocco's reality show The Restaurant hardly registered a blip on the television landscape when it aired in 2003-2004. I barely knew of its existence and certainly, I've never seen it. But I don't think that will hurt Rocco too much. He's been well-received as a guest on Top Chef and The Biggest Loser, so he is no stranger to television audiences. This can only help him.

Cons:
While Rocco does genuinely seem like a good, earnest person who will try hard and put in the effort, I'm not terribly convinced that he has any kind aptitude for dance. I'm hoping I'm wrong about this, but he looks incredibly awkward in these pictures. His tentative posture reminds me of Steve Guttenberg from last season, and that's not exactly a good thing. If Rocco's lucky, he'll make it to week three, but I'm not expecting him to get even that far in Dancing with the Stars.

Karina Smirnoff

Karina Smirnoff has a habit of rolling her eyes and pouting when she doesn't get the kind of scores she wants. Her sourpuss attitude might have been what got her and her partner Mario removed from the competition last season. She also has a tendency to mouth off about her competition in the tabloids (as she did about Shannon Elizabeth last spring), which doesn't endear her to a viewing public who might be sick of cattiness and in-fighting. However, not everyone is tired of gossip, so her appearances in the gossip magazines might work in her and Rocco's favor after all.